It is with deep sadness that we relay the passing of Mike Wiegele, founder of Mike Wiegele Heli-Skiing. Mike was a pioneer, innovator, leader, and passionate skier with an unequaled love of the mountains. He will be dearly missed.

We at BHA extend our deepest condolences to Mike’s wife Bonnie, daughter Michelle, and grandson Charlie, as well as the whole team at MWHS (past and present) and the friends and guests of Mike from all corners of the globe.

Founding Mike Wiegele Heli-Skiing in Blue River, BC in 1969, Mike helped create BC’s world-leading heli-ski industry, offering guests a big mountain experience not found anywhere else in the world. He was a tireless champion of the ski industry and skier safety with a deep understanding and connection to the mountain landscapes he loved so much. A summary of Mike’s many endeavours and achievements can be found here, and the documentary Call Me Crazy: The Legend of Mike Wiegele provides a glimpse into Mike’s truly remarkable life and all that he built.

Brent Harley and Associates had the good fortune and privilege to be able to work with Mike and MWHS since the 1990s. Over this time, we grew to understand his vision, and contribute to the realization of his dream of a world class heli-skiing resort second-to-none. With his direct involvement, we are very proud of our work in the creation of the Mike Wiegele Heli-Skiing Management Plan, the Eight Peaks Sustainable Resource Management Plan and the Master Plan for Saddle Mountain. And the vision is ongoing, focused on the dream of establishing Blue River as a centre for skiing culture.

To continue Mike’s work, we are making a contribution to the Mike Wiegele Avalanche Association Fund, set up by the Wiegele family, designed to support safety and loss prevention through avalanche research by either funding or supporting individuals or groups advancing meaningful research to benefit the avalanche community. Details on how to contribute to the Fund can be found here.

And, as Mike always said “Let’s Go Skiing!”